Breech mechanism of ordnance.



No. 778,174. PA1'11111T1111,l 111:0. 2o, 1904."

A. T'. DAWSON @L G. 7.131310111111111.

BREEGH MBGHANISM OF ORDN'ANCE.

APPLICATION' FILED 1111.16, 1903.

Nomonm..

` s' reech-szcrew and a crank engaging directly NrTRD STATES ATRNT" Orifice,

ARTHUR TREvOR'DAwsON AND GEORGE '.rHOMAs RUOKHMOF ywRsT- MiNsTRR, ENGLAN AssIGNORs To vIcKERs soNs a MAXIM, LIMITED,- OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

'BE'l-:CH MEOHANISM. OF olanrmlroe.`

SPECIFICATION forming leert f Lettere Patent Ne. 778,174, dated Deeeinber 2o, 1904,

Applica-tion filed -EelJrugry 16, 1903. Serial No. 143 64:0.

TO/ll wil/0m it may 0070306777# on'a pivot-pin c projecting from the forward Be it known that we, ARTHR TREvoR DAW- face of the swinging carrier and which works o soN, lieutenant of the royal navy and superina plane parallel with the face of the breechintendent of ordnance Works,-- and GEORGE screw. Projectingfrom the forward face of 5 THOMAS BUCKHAM, engineen/both subjects of the said crank is the pin or stud d, having an the King of Great Britain, both residing at antifriction-roller al.

32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county o is the arm on the rear face of the breech- 5 5' of London, England, have invented certain block,said arm pregecting in a radial direcnew and useful Improvements in the Bree'ch tion and having the groove. b formed in the I0 Mechanism of-Ordnance, of which the followrear -face thereof, vso as to receive the cranking is a specification. l pin eZ, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said This invention relates to gun-breech mechgroove b is represented as being straight. `It 6o anism of the kind in'which the breech is closed may, however, be made of any suitable shape by a screw havinghinterrupted or segmental to vary,the mechanical advantage of the sys-. I5 screw threads or rings and pivoted on the tem .at any point, as desired and asis wellnn-l Istem of aswinging carrier hinged to one side derstood. The relation of the crank d to the of the breech, said breech-screw being of'such groove b is, as already stated, such as to en- 654 form that it can be swung out of the gun by able the maximum power to be 'exerted at the said carrier immediately after receiving starting to unlock the-breech-screwand also 2O a partial turn for unlocking it. to give a locking-point when the breech is The chief .object of this invention is to pro? closed, as shown in Fig. 1, or, in other words, y vide simple and efficient means for imparting said crank being substantially normal to the 70 thgaforesaid partial turn to the breech-screw, walls of the groove or slot when the breech `aid means comprising a groovedor slotted -is closed. By having the crank normal to radiali arm forming part of or fixed to the the groove or slotjin the radial arm when the breech is closed the beginning of the movewith said arm and geared 'directly with an actuating-shaft on the carrier, the relative position of the radial `arm and the crank he- 0 ing such that the maximum mechanical power wfilal be-exerted at or near the commencement of the rmlocking movement of the breechscrew and` that a locking-point will be providedy when the said breech-screw is completely closed. the first movement of the crank, which causes In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is the actuation of the breech-screw slowly, the an elevation of the breech end of a gun proremainder of the operation will be had very 85 vided with our improved mechanism. Fig. quickly, consequently saving time. When 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a face view closing the breech, the operation is the reof the breech-screw; and Fig. 4 an elevation verse of that just set`forth, the first moveof part thereof, showing the slotted or grooved ment rotating the breech-screw very quickly arm thereon. lFig. 5 is a face view, and Fig. and the last movement the breech -screw 90 6 an edge view, of the crank detached. Fig. slowly, but with thenecessary power.` 7 is a face view, and Fig. 8 an edge view, of -1n the example illustrated the crank d is 4S a modified form of the crank. Y f formed with the skew-teeth (Z2, which are A is the wall of the gun, B is the breechadapted to engage with corresponding skewscrew, and C is the swinging carrier. teeth on the pinion c', carried by theshaft c2, I9S D is the crank, which 'is loosely mounted which is actuated by the hand-lever C' when will actuate the breech-screw slowly, but. with great power, and at the last stage of the Opening movement the screw will be actuated quickly, though with less power. Consequently it will be evident that-the maximum mechanical. power is applied where needed, and it will also be evident that after ment of the crank when opening the brooch 7S i the breech is being opened or closed. We

'do not of course confine ourselves to the use ,The ring-gear illustrated in the drawings.

is of the kind described in the specification of a prior British patent, No. 10,606 of the year 1896, and is intended to be actuated by acarn slot o rgroove d3 of lthe crank d engaging with a stud or projection e on the sliding bar orAmember E of the firing mechanism, which bar or member operates as explained in the specification of a prior British patent, No.

22,606 of the year 1898. In cases where 1t is not required ,to operate the firing mechanism by the aforesaid crank the cam-groove d3 would of course be-dispensed with, and inV this case the crank would be made as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

We are aware that it. has before been p roposed to mount a crank on the swinging carrier for angularly displacing the breech-screw to lock and unlock the same to and from the breech; but in such cases it hasbeen necessary screw,

to either couple said crank tothe breech-screw .or to the crank-actuating mechanisrnby a connecting-rod or similar connecting device.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is f In gun-breech mechanism, the combination with the swinging carrier and the breechof a slotted lor grooved radialarm fixed on the-breechscrew, a crank on the carrier having a pin engaging with said slotted radial arm and also 'having a cam slot or groove engaging with a projection on the sliding bar of the firing-gear, said crankbeing substantially normal' to the walls of the slot or groove when the breech is closed, skewteeth on the base of said crank, a skew-pinion mounted on an axle carried -by the carrier l and gearing with said skew-'teeth of the crank, and means for operating said axle and skew-pl pinion to rotate thebree'chscrew and to swing the carrier during the opening and closing ot' l l the breech, substantially as described.-

In testimony Whereofwehave hereunto set our hands, in presence of two subscribing wit'- nesses, this 3d day of February, 1903.

ARTHUR 'ramon DAwscN.

GEORGE melius anonimi Witnesses:

W. H. REYNER, HENRY KING. 

